17 Books You’ll Want to Read in 2017

These are a few of the most highly anticipated books of the year. Every year, I set new goals for myself to complete by the end of the new year, kind of like resolutions but easier to achieve. This year, I decided I wanted to become more literarily competent and read as many books as I could get my hands on. At the end of the year, I hope to have completed this goal and write a review on every one of the books on this list. Here 17 books that I will be reading this year and hopefully you will read a couple yourself!

1. We Were the Lucky Ones, by Georgia Hunter

This book is definitely going to tug on my heart strings. The true story of the Kurc family follows their journey of living through the Holocaust. During the invasion of Poland the family is separated as far as Brazil and Siberia. The happiness in this book doesn’t lie with the end of the Nazi party but with, against all odds, the reunion of a family. Check it out here.

2. Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rule for Success, by Ivanka Trump

Love her or hate her, you’ll want to get your hands on this book. It’s a kind of self-help book in which she aims to inspire more working women to achieve their goals. And even if you don’t like her, you have to admit, you’re a little bit intrigued. Check it out here.

3. Goodbye Days, by Jeff Zentner

Carver Briggs life was forever changed by one text message that cause a fatal car accident, killing his three best friends. His guilty conscience threatens his sanity and worse, there could be criminal charges related to the death of his friends. Along the way, he starts to help the families of his deceased friends. Check it out here.

4. The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden

Set in medieval times, this fantasy novel draws on history and Russian fairytales. Vasalisa, the main character has her grandmother’s abilities and loves the outdoors. She honors the spirits of the house that protects them from evil. After her mother dies, her father brings home a new wife who forbids her new stepdaughter from honoring the spirits of the house and indeed evil begins to creep in. Check it out here.

5. See What I Have Done, by Sarah Schmidt

A book about one of America’s greatest unsolved mysteries, Schmidt has reimagined the story of the American true crime case of the Lizzie Borden Murders. If you like true crime novels, this is definitely one for you. Check it out here.

6. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Inspired by the Black Live Matter movement, this story is about a young girl’s journey through getting justice for her friend. Sixteen year-old Starr was a witness to her friend’s death, a fatal shooting by a police officer. Movie rights have also been sold to Fox, so this is one that you’ll want to read before the movie. Check it out here.

7. Difficult Women, by Roxane Gay

This book follows the lives of several different women. Some are rich others poor, some happily married, others are haunted by dark pasts. There are several other beautiful and haunting stories of Roxane Gay’s ‘Difficult Women.’ Check it out here.

8. Shadowbahn, by Steve Erickson

In South Dakota, suddenly the twin towers reappear twenty years after they’ve fallen. Parker and Zema stop to see it, along with tens of thousands of others, on their way to Michigan to visit their mother. Rumors start to surround the ninety-third floor. Check it out here.

9. The Gypsy Moth Summer, by Julia Fierro

Leslie Day Marshall returns to Avalon to live in “the castle” with her husband who is African-American and her bi-racial children. Maddie Pencott LaRosa falls in love with their son Brooks. Filled with prejudice, young forbidden love, and outsiders. It’s a love story with a twist. Check it out here.

10. Stranger, Baby, by Emily Berry

This is the follow- up to Emily Berry’s book Dear Boy. It’s a collection of insightful, poems. Check it out here.

11. Behind Her Eyes, by Sarah Pinsborough

Loise’s life has become stagnant, that is until she kisses a mystery man in a bar, David. But when she goes to work the following Monday, she meets her new boss David, the man from the bar and he’s married and insisting that the kiss was a mistake. Then she meets Adele, who is in serious need of a friend, but is married to David. But something about their marriage is very, very wrong. Check it out here.

12. Anything is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout

This book is a continuation of stories that are linked to Strout’s previous book “My Name is Lucy Barton” but instead of it being a first-person view it switches to multiple different perspective. Check it out here.

13. Exit West, by Moshin Hamid

Saeed and Nadia live in a city swarming with refugees, the city is not at peace but also not at war. It’s a love story between Saeed and Nadia and they will eventually need to leave their city. Check it out here.

14. Woman No. 17, by Edan Lepucki

Lady Daniels decided to take a break from her husband in Hollywood when she meets S, a charismatic young artist. She helps take care of Lady’s young toddler and occasionally her older son. However, S’s relationship with Lady’s oldest son takes a disturbing turn. Check it out here.

15. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, by Roxane Gay

An insightful memoir about food, the body, and self-image. Roxane Gay uses her own struggles with food and body to write a perfect story about her journey with self acceptance and and how to take care of oneself. Check it out here.

16. The Magicians, by Lev Grossman

With season two of the Magicians coming out to the Syfy channel on January 25, even though the book came out in 2009, its a must read for 2017. I have a feeling the show is going to be big. Check it out here. If you want to check out the first season, its on Netflix.

17. Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Sanders

Set in the civil war era, this book is about Abraham Lincoln and the story of his son Willie. Willie is laid to rest in a crypt that Abraham Lincoln often visits, but Willie is having a hard time transitioning through what in Tibetan culture is called “the bardo,” an in between. Check it out here.